Our mission at AfroComicCon is to provide a supportive and inclusive experience for underrepresented groups. The nerd world belongs to all of us, though everyone is not always accepted. Specifically in the cosplay community. Black cosplayers face constant discrimination, often being told that they don’t look “canon” because of their skin tone. Cosplay is a type of performance art, it is a way to be creative, express yourself, and show love for your favorite fictional characters.

It is elating to now see black cosplayers gaining the recognition they deserve and witnessing the growing acceptance in the community. In fact, black cosplayers have created their own seat at the table and there’s no stopping now!

There are so many talented cosplayers and creators! Seun Here, a New York-based black cosplayer, grew tired of the non-inclusive generic silky-textured cosplay wigs. She started making her own wigs that matched her natural hair texture and represented their desired characters.

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These villains are getting badder and badder 😏

A post shared by Seun/Becca (@seunhere) on Mar 21, 2020 at 5:33pm PDT

We all know Kiera Please, she showed us that you can cosplay with what is in your closet. Her cosplays are vast, from celebrities to animated characters, she does it all! Her closet cosplays are inspiring and remind us that we don’t need to know how to sew or spend too much to express ourselves. Do what we can with what we have!

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she’s a phantom! 👻💚 halloween idea no. 16 #spookyplease side note- who else was obsessed with Danny Phantom?! Sam Manson was a fashion icon

A post shared by Kiera Please (@kieraplease) on Oct 26, 2019 at 12:52pm PDT

Rosalind Cook, the creator of The Supas, has created an animated superhero series that highlights the powers of black women! Growing up, like many women of color, she did not see herself represented in the superhero world.

“I would like to give girls and women for the next generation, positive supaheroes that look like them and celebrate like them.”

Rosalind Cook, Creator of “The Supas”

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Supa flyin over #thebayarea #oakland get the T-shirt

A post shared by TheSupas (@thesupas) on Feb 17, 2019 at 7:30pm PST

We keep emphasizing it, but representation is key and matters! Cosplaying opens a creative door of opportunity. We are happy to continue to be part of the blerd movement, and we will not stop until everyone can feel welcome into the community! Thank you to these cosplayers/creators and all of the ones who are not mentioned who continue to do what they love.

Again, cosplaying is about expression, your gender, ethnicity, body type, and etc do not have to be “canon”. What matters is the love and creativity you put into your costume, and the rest will fall into place.